A Woman Scorned
by elemental13
Summary: Okay not good at summaries I know you hear that a lot but just give it a quick look. Kona has spent 5 years in prison. Her family is dead. What happens when she finally gets her freedom from the new FireLord. After the defeat of Ozai. Zuko/OC ON HIATUS
1. Reliving the past and lost hope

Okay not very good for starters but i promise it will get better. I will try to update as often as I can.

Chapter 1: Reilving the past, lost hope

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" I thought to myself

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" I thought to myself. It was what my mother used to tell me all the time. She told me it meant that I should never let myself be told I wasn't good enough, and to never let a man control me.

The words might as well have been meaningless to me now. Because everyday for the last five years of my life I had been forced to do things by many men, and had been told how worthless I was. That's how Water Tribe women were treated in Fire Nation prisons.

I knew exactly what my mother would say if she could see me now. I could imagine exactly how she would say it and the look on her face when she said it.

"Don't give up now. Just keep looking ahead and before you know it, you'll see the light. And the moment you see it, run towards it as fast as you can. Because sometimes if you don't run fast enough it will get ahead again. Don't let your dreams get away from you; catch them while they're in your grasp."

But even the words coming from her own mouth wouldn't change anything. I had no dreams anymore. Dreams were futile in the era we lived in. I remember having had dreams once a long time ago. But that had all ended on the day of the attack. I remembered back to that day as if I had only just lived it.

My brother, Ruki, had been telling me I needed to help out more with our mother. To help her get over the loss of our father. Back then I had always had hope even when others didn't. I had argued that Father wasn't gone just away for now. The truth was we had never really known for sure what had happened to him. He went to war and never returned. Members of our tribe came back saying the King had not returned with them.

Yes, the King. My father, King of the Central Water Tribe. Making my mother Queen, my brother Prince, and me Princess. But I'm getting off topic. I remembered back to what Ruki told me after I disagreed.

"When are you going to get it?" His words cut through me like sharp daggers. "Dad's not coming home."

"Don't say that," the tears pricked at my eyes. "There's still a chance he could just be in a Fire Nation Prison. Once he escapes he – "

"He's dead, Kona. Everyone else has accepted it. Why won't you?" His words were blunt, cold, and not like him at all.

"Ruki, what's wrong? This isn't like you."

"I guess I've finally gotten a grip on reality. I've seen innocent men die for our protection. The Fire Nation is ruthless. They don't take hostages, or prisoners, they just kill."

"But there's still a chance – "

"No! It's done, finished! Just…let it go." With that he walked away.

That was the day I realized everyone had given up hope. And that was the beginning of the end of my hope.

It had only been a few hours later when I heard the screaming. I ran from my room as fast as I could to find my mother. I looked in her room but she wasn't there. As I left I left the door open and ran down the stairs, nearly tripping several times. As I reached the bottom step I turned a sharp corner and went into the Nursery. My mother was standing there protecting my younger sister's crib. Sukaya was only a few months old. I stepped farther in to see what she was protecting the crib from and saw a Fire Nation soldier standing in front of her with a small flame lit in his hand.

"Where are your other children?" The man demanded

"Please leave us be."

"Tell me where they are!"

"I don't know! Please just leave us we have done nothing to you!" My mother begged.

"I'll get it out of you one way or another." He said with a malicious smile as he brought the small flame closer to her. I looked away as I heard my mother's screams and pleas. When they quieted I looked back at her and saw a scar slowly forming on the gentle skin of her left arm. "Now tell me!"

"Please leave them be they are just children! They have done no wrong!"

He started to bring the flame towards her again and I couldn't take it. I stepped forward without thinking.

"Mom!" the man turned to me and smiled a smile so sinister that the only words I could think of to describe it were 'pure evil'.

"Run Kona!" Came my mother's cries. And when the man started to walk toward me I did. I ran as if my life depended on it and even then I was sure it did. At first I went to run outside but a Firebender standing above the Water Tribe soldier he had just killed noticed me and began coming towards me. I turned and ran up the stairs, but about half way up someone grabbed my ankle making me fall. It was the man who had hurt my mother. I squirmed and kicked to get away from him and finally his grasp loosened just enough for me to slide my foot out, leaving my shoe behind.

I scrambled to the top of the stairs and turned into my mother's room, thankful that I had left the door open in my hurry to get down the stairs. I quickly shut the door behind me and back up. I looked around the room frantically for something to prop against the door. Finally my eyes settled on my mother's dresser. I went to one side of it and pushed it over in front of the door. I backed up and immediately something hit the door nearly causing the dresser to topple over. I ran and hid underneath the desk. It was built with a hole in one half of the side so that a chair could fit in. The other half, however, was blocked to the outside and was empty inside. I crawled inside there. Finally the dresser toppled over breaking and spilling all over the floor. Someone forced the door open and I covered my mouth to quiet my breathing.

"Find her." Were the only words I heard as I tried to keep calm. I heard shuffling around.

"She's gone, sir." Came another voice.

"The rest of the royal family has been killed. We were ordered by the FireLord himself to dispose of the entire royal family of the Central Water Tribe. So if you would prefer to keep your head I suggest you fine her! Smoke her out if you have to. She couldn't have gone far."

I tried to hold back the tears that came with the knowledge of knowing my whole family was killed. I tried to remain quiet. And once I saw the smoke I tried not to panic. Once the smoke entered my lungs I tried to find clean air to breathe and then I tried not breathing at all. Then all I was trying to do was _to_ breathe. The smoke had filled my lungs making it harder and harder for me to breathe. Finally I crawled out from under the desk and ran to the window. It was closed and I tried to open it but it seemed to be jammed. I thought I was going to die. The last thing I remembered was passing out.

When I woke up I was gently rocking back and forth. It took me a while to realize I was on a ship. After that realization came to me I realized I was in chains. It wasn't long before I blacked out again. And then I woke up in the cell I was laying in at the very moment.

I had re-lived that day over and over for the past five years. It was hard to believe it had only been five years when it seemed like an eternity. It was also hard to believe I was only seventeen. She felt much older with all that she had endured. And yet she still felt much younger because she was too weak to do anything against her captors.

They called it 'The Boiling Rock'. It definitely lived up to its name. Only the rock wasn't always what boiled. Sometimes it was innocent, gentle skin against the fiery hands of the prison guards. She had only been burned a few times over the years as surprising as it was. And it had all been in the first couple of years she had been there. Because that was as long as it took for her to realize that submission was easier than defiance.

I knew I had lost what I had once had. More than just my innocence, I had lost my hope. I was just floating through life as if I wasn't even living it. As if I was watching it from the sidelines. And I knew it would take a lot more than freedom (if that ever even came) to give me my life back.

A/N: Okay yes a little depressing right now but I promise it gets better. Like I said I will try to update as often as possible.


	2. Broken hearts and ideas

This chappie is from Zuko's POV I'm thinking of doing the chapters back from forth from Kona's to Zuko's POV but here it is and sorry it took so long

I DO NOT OWN AVATAR!! CREDIT TO THE RESPECTFUL OWNER. I ONLY OWN MY CHARACTERS THAT I CREATED. AND PARTLY THE IDEA STORY PLOT. (I got my idea from reading other stories on but I didn't copy anyone else's story)

Chapter 2: broken hearts and ideas

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" I thought to myself as I ducked out of the way of a lamp, thrown my direction

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" I thought to myself as I ducked out of the way of a lamp, thrown my direction.

"How could you do this? After everything we've been through together! After everything I've been through for you!" Mai screamed after throwing a flower vase at my head. "Just because he says something doesn't mean you have to listen! I'm a little girl anymore he can't run my life!"

"Mai, he's your father and I have to respect the decisions he makes. I know it's going to be difficult but eventually it will get easier." I reasoned.

"Easier? What do you know about easier! You're the reason we're in this big mess! If you hadn't gone off with the Avatar and betrayed your country, I wouldn't have had to protect you as you ran away! I wouldn't have been jailed up in some place by Azula and forced o live like a traitor to my own country! I did all that for you, Zuko, and this is how you repay me?" I didn't like it when she played the guilt card on me, but she was right. "You repay me by breaking my heart…again!"

"I never asked for your help – "

"But you did lead me on! Telling me how you loved me and making me believe that one day when you regained your senses we could be happy together!" I saw the blade pop out of her sleeve and I new what was coming next. "But even when that day finally comes you decide to listen to my father instead of me!" She threw the blade at my head and I barely missed it.

"Mai please, try to be reasonable." But I knew no matter what I said she would hate me either way. It all started when Mai and I announced we were going to marry each other. Her father objected to it and said he would never allow his daughter to marry a traitor to his own country. A traitor to his own family. What he didn't realize was that my father and my sister were the ones who betrayed me.

"Reasonable? I'll show you reasonable!" The next thing I knew there were daggers and darts and blades flying at me from every direction. I tried to duck out of the way but they came at me so fast. I knew I had to get out. So I ran from the door while dodging a few more. (Sorry just had to put it: "I'm a poet and didn't even know it" kay I'm done lol)

Finally I squeezed through the slightly open door and into the hallway. I sighed tried to catch my breath and walked to my uncle's room. I knocked on the door and hear a "Come in".

"Uncle I don't know what to do," I said sitting in a chair. "Mai hates me and now she's trying to kill me! I'm just trying to do the respectable and honorable thing. She just doesn't understand."

"You are leaving because her father said too, correct?" he asked.

"Yes, but every time I try to explain that to her she just gets even more mad. What am I supposed to do?"

"You are aware that you must find a bride, aren't you? Maybe she is just jealous because she loved you and now you must marry someone else. You know, jealousy is a wall some people put up between them and someone else because they don't want them to see their hurt. Maybe you should try to comfort her instead of explaining." Uncle was always so wise.

"Maybe you're right. I just wish she would stop throwing knives at me."

"She is throwing knives at you? Maybe you should just steer clear of her for a while. At least until she has a chance to calm down some."

I laughed inside myself. Of course Uncle would be wise unless there was a crazy woman endangering his life. But he always did give the best advice so I figured I'd steer clear of Mai until she was calmed down a bit.

At least that's what I thought I would do until I walked out of Uncle's room and was told by a guard that Mai had left with a message that he would prefer not to repeat to me. I dismissed him and went back to what was left of my chambers.

There were already servants in there cleaning up broken glass and pulling daggers out of the walls. I looked at my bed. The pillows had been thrashed and I couldn't tell where my blankets were but I assumed they were in a large pile of rubble on the other side of the room. It would take at least a week to get this room cleaned up and I couldn't kick my uncle out of his guest room where he stayed when he came for visits. I decided to talk to him more over dinner and began helping the servants clean up the mess.

By dinner time the mess was almost completely clean and the precious wood carvings for the bed and furniture were being worked on. I walked into the dining hall and sat at the head of the table. There were many people at the table all talking amongst themselves. But I was only interested in talking to one.

"Uncle," I said to him quietly, trying not to catch attention form other conversationalists. "My room is going to take at least a week to get it back the way it was before. I've been thinking about what you said. About how I need to find a wife still."

"And what do you bring me Prince Zuko?" He asked curiously.

"There are still prisoners at the boiling rock. Before they can be freed they must agree to a contract saying they will not try to harm the Fire Nation for what they have done. And they will leave their vengeance in their cells as they leave to go back to their families." I explained.

"That's great Zuko but I do not see how that ties in with you finding a wife." His face nearly made me laugh it was so confused.

"There are still those who are resisting the contract. I wish to choose one of the women resisters as my wife in order to lead by example how the fire Nation is putting an end to this war." I finished and took a bite of my food.

"Prince Zuko, that is a good idea but have you considered the risk to your life? If you marry someone who has not agreed to not killing you they could easily kill you and be gone." He looked at me with worried eyes as I had expected when I thought of that fact myself.

"I realize the risk and I am willing to take the chance if it means that more people are able to go free. Even if nobody follows the example it still frees on woman. Besides there aren't that many women prisoners at the boiling rock. They can't all be terrible can they? Even if we can find just one who won't try to kill me on the spot that is good enough for me."

"I hope you know what you are getting yourself into Nephew. These are dangerous times even with the war over. There is no guaranteed safety. What shall you do if they do attempt your life? Will you put them back in prison?"

"I haven't decided what I will do if that happens. Let's just hope it doesn't."

That night we prepared the ship and set sail. I liked sleeping on the rocking ship. It reminded me of my mother rocking me in her arms. I had yet to retrieve the information from my father that I had wanted. But I knew I would, it was only a matter of time.

Until then I drifted off to sleep warmly inside my mothers loving arms.

a/n: There it is the second chappie. Okay starts off a little slow but will pick up a little in the next chapter. Because next chapter they meet! Should I do the next one from Kona's POV, from Zuko's POV, half and half, or Do it from her point of view and for the fourth chappie do it form his POV. I would really like some feedback for advice. If I don't get any in the next two days though I will just pick one randomly and do it that way.


	3. Offers and Dreams

**A/N: Okay this one is kind of a long chapter I ended up going with A half and Half POV thing. Hopefully you all like it ^_^**

**Chapter 3: Offers and Dreams**

I awoke to light shining through the window of my room on the ship. It was completely silent except for the occasional creek of the ship and the sound of the water slapping against the sides of the ship. The crew must have still been asleep. I got up and walked out onto the deck. Looking up at the elevated deck I noticed the man steering the ship nodding his head and closing his eyes then shooting straight up. He must have been driving the ship all night, I thought to myself. I walked back down below deck and found the captains quarters. As I knocked gently on the door I was answered with a gruff "What do you want?"

"For you to take your shift steering this ship before we crash because the night captain is about to fall asleep." I said smiling to myself as the day captain realized who I was.

This time I was met with a much more professional "Y-yes, sir. My apologies for my previous behave – "

"Don't worry about it just get ready and take your shift." I thought back to a time when I would have chastised him about his behavior. That time seemed so far away now. Almost as if it were another lifetime. I guess you could say it was. I wasn't entirely ashamed of the person I was back then, but I wasn't proud of it either. I know now that I was just a lost soul looking for comfort. My father had made me believe the only way to do that was to make him proud of me. I guess somewhere inside I knew that would never happen. But if there is anything I am proud of from that lifetime it is that, even though a part of me knew it was impossible, I still tried. I was proud of that.

I stayed on the upper deck watching the sun rise until the rest of the crew was awake. Then I walked down to the lower levels and found my uncle in the kitchen. He was sitting at one of the tables drinking (you guessed it) tea. I sat down beside him. He offered me a cup and I accepted it.

"We will arrive soon." I stated simply. I knew he was just as nervous as I was.

"This is your last chance to back down, Zuko. You must not take this lightly." He cautioned.

"Uncle, I am not going to back out of this." I said as my eyes begged him to understand my need to do this. I had do get as many people free as possible. Keeping prisoners, from a war that my great-grandfather had started out of his anger towards avatar Roku, is wrong. I know it is, and yet I can only help the ones who let me. How fair is that?

Finally our ship docked on the outside of the boiling rock. We were escorted to the lift – which had now been repaired from our last visit. As the ride went down slowly I looked around at some of the guards. One gave me a glare and when she talked to usher us off of the lift I recognized her as the one I had fought when Sokka had gone in to see his girlfriend.

"Hello," I started. Might as well try to end all arguments now before someone got hurt. "I'm sorry about what happened last time I was here. If I hurt I really didn't mean to and I am sorry if I did."

"Don't sweat it." She said and walked away, leaving us with our new guide.

"Follow me, please," The new guide said moving his hand in the direction we started walking. "We have ordered all of the female prisoners to come out to the courtyard for viewing. You will choose three women and interview them as you like."

"What if he only finds one or two women who don't look like they would kill him on the spot if they had the chance?" Uncle was always trying to look out for me.

Well of course you can choose as many as you like, we just assumed three would be a good number to start with and narrow your choices from there. Although we do still encourage you to interview them. Some seem very pleasant on the outside, but we have had a few guards injured from underestimating them."

I heard my uncle gulp and I suddenly felt a little less secure than I had before. I started to have second thoughts but quickly tucked them away. This was about doing what's right for more people than just me. At least this way I would be giving someone a chance. We walked out into the courtyard and I saw the disgusted faces of all the prisoners. None of them looked happy to see me. But as I walked down the line I changed my mind. There was one girl who had no emotion on her face at all. I couldn't tell if it was because she really didn't care or if she was extremely good at hiding her emotions.

She wasn't as hurtful on the eyes as most of the other prisoners. I looked around at the rest of the prisoners and there were the few who seemed to be calm but had a catlike gleam in there eye as if they were preparing to trap their prey. I looked back over at the strange girl but she was looking down now. I could still see her eyes though and what I saw in them made me involuntarily shiver. I saw emptiness. There was no emotion in her eyes at all, just blank; lifeless.

Somehow right at that moment a breeze caught her hair. I wasn't sure where it had come from, perhaps one of the cooling vents or something. But she lifted her face so the air could blow gently across it. Then it happened. She opened her eyes and looked directly into mine. It was amazing how drastically her eyes had changed from the lifeless daze I had seen in them before. I now tried to catch as many emotions I saw, as possible.

I saw pain, sadness, anger, fear – all things you would expect to see from a prisoner of war. But there was something else. Another emotion that came in glimpses, almost as if it were there but being chased away and hidden. It came and left so fast I couldn't tell what it was.

Finally the gaze was broken when my uncle leaned over and said "See anything you like?" I knew he meant it in a sarcastic manor and was probably waiting to hear that I had overcome my moments of mindless stupidity and was ready to go home. But the gaze from the girl had made me strangely curious. And I suddenly wanted o speak to her, comfort her. Run my fingers through her hair which was both as white as the moon and yet as black as the night. And most of all I wanted to send forever looking in those light blue eyes and unmask their hidden emotion.

But instead I just answered "Actually I do."

Uncle looked at me as if I had just grown a second head. "Who could possibly look at least half-way decent and not look like they are going to kill you the first chance they get?"

"Her," I said pointing to the mysterious girl. By now she was looking down again. I wondered what she saw when she looked into my eyes. My eyes…she probably saw a wounded and scarred coward. I wouldn't blame her if she did. I'm sure that's what everyone sees when they first look at me. It was a lesson I would never forget. To never back down to someone when you know you're right. And to never give them the benefit of your pleas for mercy.

Kona's POV

I couldn't stand to look in his eyes any longer. Luckily the old man next to him caught his attention and he looked away. My mother had always taught me that first impressions were almost never true. Half of me hoped she was wrong and half of me hoped she was right. But they were split reasons. I couldn't decide if I wanted him to be the struggling man filled with pain and regret. Or if I wanted him to be the man filled with honor and courage, the one with a tender heart. Part of me wanted him to know what pain felt like and yet part of me wanted him to be different than the rest of the fire nation people I had dealt with and heard about. I saw so much in his eyes and I wondered what he saw in mine.

When I was young my father had told me "Your eyes can show the world to you…but they can also show you to the world." It had taken me a long time to understand what that had meant. I had finally realized that it meant your eyes can give you away and show your emotions and sometimes even your past. He believed the eyes are the most powerful thing in the world. Even more powerful than the greatest bender of all time. Because someone's eyes can tell you who they are. Bending can't always do that and even when it does it doesn't give as much insight or emotions as the eyes do. That's what my father believed, but he didn't know that knowing who someone really is isn't as powerful as he thought.

Finally they left and the man in charge told us to go back to our cells. There were a lot of mumbles and grumbles but I didn't make a sound. I had never expected to be chosen as a wife to the new Firelord. They had told us when they lined us up that the new Firelord – previously known as the Banished Prince – was coming here to choose a wife. Some of the women had plans and plots to get him alone and then kill him. Some said they would never accept such a proposal. Other said he was really just coming to get more servants. There were many things that people said but I never listened to any of it. I knew it would have no effect on me so I ignored it all. Except for that gaze…

My cell door swung open and it startled me at first. Ever since word got out that the war had ended most of the previous guards had been replaced with guards who supported the "new" Fire Nation way of life. So the assaults had also stopped. We didn't often get visitors and I looked at the two guards curiously as the grabbed me by the elbows and walked me out of my cell. What really shocked me was they hadn't put the chains on my wrists or ankles. Didn't they realize I could escape their grasps almost too easily and run from them? Of course here I guess there was nowhere to run to. But even still, if I had wanted to kill one of them I had definitely had more than the opportunity now. They must have known this because they seemed abnormally tense.

We finally stopped at a door and they knocked on it. "We are ready" was the only answer they got. They pulled the handle down and nudged the door open just about an inch before stepping back and motioning me forward. I wondered what could be going on. Maybe they were going to try to get me to sign that contract again.

But instead when I walked in I saw the new Firelord standing next the old man with a guard on each side of them. The man motioned to the seat and said "Please, sit. We just have a few questions for you."

I sat down in the chair making sure to keep my expression blank. It had worked better that way for me before. If they saw fear they would take it as a hint that they could push you around. If they saw defiance they saw it as a way to break you until you feared them. If they saw no emotion they usually lost interest.

"I'm sure you have heard that I am searching for a wife," The man began. "I guess I should start with my name. My name is Zuko, I am the new Firelord and, as you have most likely already heard, previously known as the Banished Prince. What's your name?"

I looked up at him to see he was searching my face, my eyes, for some sort of display of emotion or at least an understanding that I had heard him. I answered simply with "Kona." That seemed to satisfy him for the moment.

"Hello, Kona," He said smiling politely. "I like that name. If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up in here?" I gave no answer and after a couple of minutes he continued. "How long have you been here?" Still I did not answer him and he seemed to be much more patient with me than I had expected. However one of the guards standing by wasn't as patient.

"He asked you a question. Show him respect and answer him!" I just simply looked at the guard with the same blank expression. I looked back at Zuko when he waved the guard off. "My apologies my lord." He said before leaving the room.

"I'm not going to force you to answer my questions but it might make it easier for me to understand your situation. And to also understand why you won't sign the contract." I looked back down. I knew this would have something to do with that. "Please just give e something, anything." His desperation touched something inside and I started to talk before I even knew I was going to say anything.

"I don't know why I'm here, but I've been here for five years now." I answered plainly.

"Okay," he seemed to think for a moment before continuing. "Why won't you sign the contract? Don't you want to go home to your family?"

I felt the pain in my throat and the sharp sting in the back of my eyes. I blinked once, willing the unwanted tears to go away. I wouldn't give him that. I wouldn't let him see me cry. "I have no family. They were all killed the day I was taken prisoner. And I won't sign your stupid contract because there's no point." I felt my anger rise and I tried as hard as I could to mask my emotions but it didn't seem to be working.

Finally when I almost had it under control he continued. "Don't you want to at least try to start a new life?" I couldn't hold it back anymore and I felt my emotions pour out of me. I tried futilely to bring them back in but some still managed to slip out.

"How could you say that? You don't know what I've been through! And even if you did you probably wouldn't care! When you've been put through hell everyday for the past five years you can't just start over! It's not that simple! You can't just forget everything that's happened!"

He smiled and part of me wanted to kill him right there. But then he spoke. "I'm glad we finally got somewhere with you." It through me off guard and I didn't know what to say.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I would rather watch you explode on me than watch you sit there so lifeless." He wasn't smiling anymore.

"Well I'm not signing your stupid contract so forget it." I retorted.

"That's okay because I'm not asking you too. Remember what I said when we started this? I'm looking for a wife."

_Had he gone completely insane?!_ _I had just blown up on him, told him I wouldn't sing the contract saying I wouldn't kill him, and he wants to marry me?!_

"Look I don't know where you have been these past couple of minutes, but I think you have some serious head damage or something. You did hear me say I won't sign your contract, right?"

"Yes I know that." He said smiling. I started to wonder if he was really crazy.

"That means I refuse to say I won't kill you."

"Yes"

"So I might just kill you anyways if you were to give me the chance."

"But you wouldn't." he said confidently.

"What makes you so sure?" my own attitude amazed me. He had caused me to go from lifeless zombie to defiant rebel just like that.

"Because if you were going to kill me you could have and probably would have already." He gave me a smirk and I felt the left corner of my mouth tug up in a half smile at his wit.

"Maybe I'm waiting until you get me out of here so I can kill you and escape into freedom." It seemed like my entire personality had just changed.

"Then why would you object to the idea of coming with me and being my wife?" He had a curious gleam to his eyes as if he were trying to figure me out.

I couldn't continue the teasing very long before my emotions were worn out. I guess it would take a lot more than just a little witty banter between strangers to get me completely normal.

"I will give you until tomorrow morning when we leave to give me an answer."

"An answer to what?" I was confused on exactly what he was asking me to do.

"You tell me," he said and stood up. "Will you at least allow me to escort you back to your cell?" He smiled politely and I felt a small bit of color rise to my cheeks. Not enough for anyone else to notice but just enough for me to.

"Fine," I replied putting back on my emotionless mask.

We walked back down the hall and stopped when we got to my cell door.

"Don't forget to give me your answer tomorrow morning before we leave."

"What time do you leave?" I asked and then realized I seemed interested. Although a part of me didn't mind that he knew I was interested in his offer. Yes, his offer, not him.

"Shortly after sunrise," He replied.

"Then I will see you then. And you will have my answer." I turned to go back into my cell and he gently grabbed my elbow turning me toward him again.

"Goodnight, my lady." He said lifting my hand to kiss my fingers gently. I knew he could see the blush that crept across my cheeks now.

"I-I…Why did you call me 'my lady'. I mean I am definitely nothing like the girls from your scene." I stuttered. I couldn't imagine why he would treat me like a high-born, high-class woman when I was merely a prisoner in his prison.

"If you accept my offer then you will be Lady of the Fire Nation. It's only natural for me to give you the title." He explained.

"Goodnight Firelord Zuko." I said and walked into my cell. I walked over and sat down on my bed. Tonight was unexpected. Three years without showing emotion and he had brought so much of it out in less then an hour. She knew she had to do better. Hiding her emotions from guards was easy. Hiding emotions from a charming man would seem to be much harder. But I had to try. I couldn't let him see my weakness.

I lay on my bed and folded my hands behind my head. My mind raced with thoughts of tomorrow morning. Questions like "What if I say no?" ran through my dreams. I imagined spending the rest of my life in the day-to-day basis in this prison. I shuddered in my sleep; I could not take that anymore. "What if I said yes and killed him?" I shuddered before I even imagined the scene. I couldn't kill anyone, let alone a man who has shown me nothing but kindness (and a bit of slow wit). "What if I say yes, and then sneak away once I'm free?" I imagined living life in the woods or whatever inn I could find to let me stay for cheap. I'd have to find some kind of work, whatever work I could find. After years in a prison I didn't think I would be able to stand it.

I thought about the only other choice there was. My final option. "What if I said yes and stayed with him?" I dreamed of how it would be. Maids, servants, guards not holding me in but protecting me. I dreamt of a mans gentle arms around me. His arms around me, in a loving, caring way. Not the way the guards were when they assaulted me. But the way it's supposed to be, with a husband, someone who loves you. And I fell asleep in his gentle arms.

**A/N: Okay that was chappie three! Let me knwo what you thought of it. I know part of it seems kind of like old fashioned style lol I was watching Titanic when I started typing the section where they are in the room and they are talking. And then I just decided to add in the hand kiss because I wanted to appeal more to Zuko's respectable nature. (Hey I know all you girls out there reading this wouldn't mind a guy with a little class ^_*) ANyway I know I called Zuko a "man" a lot in this but he kind of is in a way I mean he wasn't far from being one when the series started and he grew so much more mature as he went on. Oh tell me what you think of the long Chappie. Should I do them all longer like this or do you like them shorter or would you prefer a mix between the two? Come one I want to hear from my readers! Tell me what you think and any ideas you have for me ^_^ Untikl the next chapter**

**3 e13**


	4. Secrets and Stories

**A/N: Hello everyone. Sorry it took so long. Okay first off I just wanted to say thank you to arizony for the help, advice and ideas. At my notes at the end I will tell you what his ideas for this chapter were so that I don't ruin it for you right now ^_^ This is from Zuko's POV and I find that I actually like to see things through his eyes instead of imagining them through my OC's eyes. It definitely helps me in trying to capture and understand his personality. Anyways, on to the story. Hope you enjoy reading this and I realize I haven't put this in my previous chapters and I am sorry for that but here is my disclaimer: I do not own Avatar and that's prbably a very good thing because if I did it probably wouldn't have anywhere near as many viewers lol**

I paced back and forth in my room. Yes or no? Read it or leave it? The choice was finally mine. It was only a few hours until we would leave and I still had no answer from her. The guards had brought me her profile so that I could read it to learn more about her. All I had to do was open it and her entire past would be revealed. I wanted to and yet I didn't at the same time. Reading it would answer all the questions that had been running through my head. But she might consider it an invasion of privacy. Maybe just the first page…no it was only going to get me even more curious and I would never be able to stop until I had read the whole thing over ad over again making sure I hadn't missed anything.

I finally made up my mind to just take a peak. I walked over to it and slowly lifted the folder half expecting something to jump out at me and attack me for invading her privacy. Luckily nothing came out at me and I sat down and pulled the file onto my lap. The beginning said her name and age and all of that. I skimmed through it not really caring how tall she was or what she weighed. I read down to reason for imprisonment.

"Firelord's orders." Were all that was written and I found myself wishing the lazy guards had been more specific. I looked farther down to see relations. They were names I recognized but couldn't tell from where. Until I read this:

Father Zirone Hikamaru

I couldn't believe my eyes. I hadn't seen or heard that name since before I had been banished but I remembered it well. It was a man who was brought before my father in trial. He was the king of the Central Water Tribe before it was destroyed. My father had wanted some kind of information from him. He had refused to give and was even willing to die to protect his secret. My father had him imprisoned, but what I remembered most was as the guards were taking him away my father had turned to another guard and told him to have the mans family killed.

If he was Kona's father that would mean that Kona was supposed to die when her people were destroyed. The same questions kept running through my mind. What happened? How is she still alive? What secret was her father protecting? I knew I had to find where her father was imprisoned. I had to find the answers to these questions.

Just then a knock sounded at my door. "Come in," I said quietly, not really wanting to be disturbed. Luckily it was only my uncle and he came in and sat down beside me. He examined my face then looked at the folder in my lap.

"Is something bothering you Zuko?" He asked with a worried face. When I didn't answer him he looked down at the file and started reading. When he got to the part that I had stopped at he looked back up at me. "Do you know what this means?" I could only nod my head. "She is the last survivor of the Central Water Tribe." Now I turned and looked at him oddly.

"What about her father? He was imprisoned but he is still from the Central Water Tribe." I finally said. I didn't understand what he meant. Unless…

"I'm sorry Zuko, but Zirone has never been found since the day he left the Fire Nation. Nobody knows where he is. Everyone assumed he was dead."

I wondered idly what Kona would think once she heard this news. Would it be unexpected or something she had already known? I did not know and the unanswered questions bothered me. I didn't understand why I felt this connection to her, why I wanted to protect her from this saddening news. It didn't make sense to me and I classified the feelings under guilt for her many years in prison. I remembered back to what she had told me when she could not keep her emotions under control. What had happened to her in this prison? I wanted to know what pain she had seen so that I could help erase is or at least cover it with happier memories. What could I classify that emotion under? Perhaps that was guilt too; maybe I would never know where my emotions came from. Or maybe all it would take was a little more time with this mysterious girl who seemed to bring out these unknown emotions in me. I would find out soon enough.

My uncle jerked me from my thoughts as he closed the door. Probably to leave me to think about what he said. He always knew when the time was for talk and when the time was to leave me be to ponder my thoughts. I did not have long to ponder however because soon after that there was a knock on my door. I answered to find one of the prison guards.

"The prisoner you spoke with last night wishes to speak with you. Will you accept?" He asked formally.

"Of course," I replied and then saw her standing to the side of the door. "You decided to accept my proposal?" I hoped she had for I knew I could not make myself choose another.

"I-I…haven't decided yet." She looked down as if she were afraid I would lash out at her for her indecision.

"Then what have you come to talk about?" I asked curiously. Her confused expression baffled me and I wondered what she was thinking to make her so distraught.

"I just – what I mean is – I-I umm…" Her stuttering worried me slightly and out of instinct I reached out to touch her arm.

"What is it you're trying to say?" I asked letting my worry fill my tone. She looked at the guard and then back at me. I understood and motioned him to leave then looked back at her.

"I've been thinking this morning about a certain issue," She finally said and I wondered what issue she could be thinking of. "If I accept your proposal that is."

I ushered her inside to give us some more privacy then closed the door. "Go ahead," I offered when she didn't continue.

"Would you – we – I – have to – be required to – um…" She kept changing her words with different ones and it nearly killed me not knowing what she was thinking about that made her do this. After a couple of deep breaths she seemed to regain her composure. "Would I be required to provide an heir to your thrown?" So she was taking my offer seriously. I considered her question for a moment.

"Eventually, yes, but not for some time." I finally answered. "The need is not that great and I would not want to discomfort you in any way." She seemed more content with this answer and she nodded her head gently.

"I suppose that I will have to," She thought for just a moment longer and then finished her sentence. "Accept your proposal." She smiled just slightly after saying this, but only for a moment. Her expression became slightly troubled again after that and it made me truly wonder what could possibly be on her mind that was so troubling.

"What are you thinking?" I finally asked unable to bear the curiosity. She hesitated for a moment and then smiled just slightly again.

"I was just thinking of what it will be like, being Lady of the Fire Nation. I was having some trouble imagining it." She smiled a little wider. I knew it wasn't the full truth but I would take what she was willing to give for now.

"Don't worry you won't have to imagine for long," I said encouragingly. "The ship ride will only last a couple of days. You must be tired," I added belatedly wondering if she was normally up this early. She simply nodded slightly and gave me a weak smile. She seemed so fragile when she was shy like this. I supposed it was because she didn't really know how to act. She had just bound herself to her enemy and he was asking her if she was tired. I thought about how I must look to her. But the more I thought about it the less sure I was about the answer. Curiosity got the better of me again and I blurted out my question. "How do you see me?" She gave me a confused look and I clarified. "I mean how do I seem to you? This must be odd for, having a complete stranger who was in fact your enemy some time ago come and offer you marriage."

"I will admit you do seem slightly odd," She said and then seemed to smile to herself, perhaps a private joke? "But I can see that your intentions are good. I don't think you will hurt me and that scares me more than anything else." I gave her a confused look and after a moment she explained. "My entire life I was raised to hate the Fire Nation. I was taught that they were cruel and uncaring, that they had no hearts and did not care who they hurt because they were so greedy. My years in prison only proved this and so I truly have thought that of the Fire Nation. And then you came and you seemed so nice. When I first looked into your eyes I saw something I had never seen before in someone from the Fire Nation. I saw courage and honor and a kind tender heart and I didn't understand it. But I also saw pain and suffering and it made me think that maybe not all the people of the Fire Nation were driven by greed. Then I noticed your scar…" I scoffed at her. She couldn't have noticed all that before she noticed the scar. That was the first thing everyone saw when they looked into my eyes. She continued anyways. "It made me wonder who could be so horrible as to burn a man as kind as you. It didn't make any sense." She paused before continuing again. "I want to know who did it; I need to know who could be so monstrous as to burn a man with so much kindness and such a gentle heart." Her eyes begged me to tell her and I found it hard to deny them.

"Do you really want to know?" She simply nodded her head and waited for me to continue. I took a deep breath. "It was my father." I heard her gasp as I expected and then went on. I told her the story, the team of Fire Nation soldiers who would be sacrificed, the angry general, but most of all my pleas to my father to forgive me. "The pain of my father's rejection hurt worse than the pain of his flames to my skin. I tried futilely to find the Avatar so that I could regain my honor. It took me a long time to realize that my father could never restore my honor. That restoring my honor was something only I could do." When I finished I looked up at her and her expression was a mix of emotions playing out on her face. And then when she realized I was staring at her, her face became composed. It was as if she had put up an imaginary wall to hide her emotions and even when I told her my story I could not get past that wall. I assumed that the strongest emotion there was probably sympathy as it usually was. Of course I couldn't be sure because nothing about her was how it was in usual people.

"I can't imagine how painful that must have been." She finally said after the long pause. "I should probably consider myself lucky because I don't know if I could go on if I had been rejected by my father." I winced as she said that last sentence. She would never get to see her father again and I didn't know if I could tell her, much less how I would tell her. She needed to know, and I knew it was wrong to keep it from her, but still…a part of me hesitated. Maybe I should move on to some happier news for now. I decided I would do that and tried to think of some good news in the midst of all this pain. Finally a thought came to my mind.

"You will get to meet the Avatar soon," I said and by her face she knew I had purposely changed the subject. She didn't say anything and instead gave me a weak smile. Maybe she was glad for the subject change too, or maybe she didn't say anything for my sake. "And his soon to be wife also, I'm sure you two will be able to connect in more ways than one."

"How's that?" She asked curiously.

"Well Katara has been through some rough times," I thought of the time we had gone together to avenge her mothers death. She truly was a good person and I was really happy for her and Aang that they could be happy together. "She also didn't like me very much at first." I added with a chuckle. Her face became defensive and I wondered if she thought I didn't realize her distaste for me when we first met. I was under the impression that she wanted that well known. "I was their enemy for a very long time and she found it hardest to forgive me because at one point when I was confused about how I was feeling about everything, she trusted me. I betrayed her trust and it took me a very long time but I slowly regained it." I explained slowly, allowing her to take it all in. She needed to know that even though I was bad at one point I was still a good person on the inside. I hoped having everyone there would help her see that.

"So when will I meet them?" She asked, and she now seemed almost eager to meet them. Of course I couldn't place exactly where her eagerness had come from and I had a feeling she made it that way on purpose.

"When we return to the Fire Nation they will be waiting for us. Katara's brother Sokka will also be there with his soon to be wife Suki." I remembered once again how Sokka and I had rescued Suki from the very prison we were preparing to leave. "And another friend Toph will also be there, however who she is with I do not know, but I am eager to meet him. In fact I almost feel sorry for him, Toph is a very tough girl, but if he can handle it then I am happy for both of them." I added with a slight smile. It was a good thing Toph was an earth bender because her personality was just a little too hard for any other element. But it fit her well and I hoped her relationship with this unknown person would be good for her.

"I can't wait to meet all of them." She said gracing me with a warm smile and I found it hard to breathe. Her smile was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life. But the she involuntarily yawned I recalled that she was tired.

"Why don't you rest here," I said motioning to the bed. "I have some paperwork to fill out before we set off and you look like you could use some extra sleep." She gave me a small smile and walked over to the side of the bed pulling the covers down. She looked up at me as if she had forgotten to mention something.

"Thank you," she said and then paused for a moment before continuing. "For everything you are doing for me. I really appreciate it." She said gracing me with another one of her amazing warm smiles. I smiled back and dreamed that perhaps my smile could have the same effect on her and hers did on me.

"Your welcome," I said and then turned to leave. As I closed the door I whispered gently. "Sleep well." And then I left to attend to my duties.

**A/N: Okay so feel free to tell me what you think. Even if you didn't like it. In fact espescially if you didn't like it. Don't get me wrong I love reading positive reviews but the negative ones also help me to know what my readers don't want to read. Because without readers an author is nothing. Anyways it was arizony's idea to add in the profile at the beginning and my sister gave me the idea for the background story on her father so that now we know somewhat of what really happened to him. It was also arizony's idea for the gathering of old friends. Which will hopefully be in the next chapter. And hopefully I will get that one out sooner than I did this one ^_^' It took a while because I had a ton of tests in school and everything but I finally finished it. I really am sorry it took so long and I know I made some editing mistakes and misspellings I apologize for those too. Anyways hope to get the next chappie out to you sooner! In the mean time tell me what you think of the story so far. Like I said even the negative comments give me inspiration! **


	5. Introductions and Clothes

**A/N: Okay I am soo sorry it took so long. I have been really busy with the Holidays (I went to my dad's for a week also) and now everythign with midterms...anyways here is Chapter 5. As always tell me what you think ^_^**

I woke up to an inky, nearly palpable darkness. I was used to this, but it was a different darkness than just no light. There was some light; it was just covered and only a small line of it came through a part of the wall. I sat up in the comfortable unfamiliar bed and looked around me, slowly remembering where I was.

I stood and walked over to the small light before I realized it was a window. I grunted as I tried to open it, but was unsuccessful. I walked over to the other light peaking from underneath the door. It took me a moment, but I eventually figured out how get it open and I discovered myself in the passageway of the ship. I moved through the passageway until I found a ladder. Climbing it, I found my way to the deck above where I saw a circle of light.. Was I still inside? No, I could feel the breeze. The sight of this glowing orb was so unfamiliar until I realized what it was. During the entire time I was in prison I was never allowed out of my cell at night. It had been so long, I almost didn't recognize what I was looking at. Suddenly I realized....... It was the moon.

I looked around at the few people who were on deck, then took an unsure step forward. A little voice in my head nagged at me, warning me to go back to the Firelord's room. I ignored it, however, and took a few more steps, fearing that I would be discovered and punished for being out of place.

When nobody yelled at me I walked slowly up onto the deck. I looked around at the curious eyes of the ship's crew . None of them told me to leave like I had feared they would. Instead they seemed almost, _friendly_? I continued forward, sailors moving out of my way with what I had, until recently, only seen exhibited towards senior Fire Nation officials. I reached the bow of the ship where I gently rested my hands on the railing. The crew busied themselves or at least tried to make it look that way, but I still noticed the glances every few seconds.

I pushed the thought of their curious gazes to the back of my mind and focused instead on the rolling sea. I saw the moon reflected in the water. Closing my eyes, I could feel the call of the moon. Even though it had been so long since I had experienced it, I could still feel the call. It was a calm night and the sea rolled in gentle smaller waves.

Out of nowhere my hands began to move on their own as if they were someone else's. I watched as they played out little patterns and it took me a moment to realize what I was doing. The water below the ship caught my attention and I watched it roll abnormally along with the movement of my hands. _**I was waterbending!**_ I let my hands form intricate patterns and watched the effect they had on the water. I started to concentrate more and more not really knowing where the memories came from. I made the water do what I wanted it to.

I was interrupted as I heard some of the men talking. I turned hoping that my bending hadn't been noticed; I didn't want to cause a scene. But when I turned I saw Firelord Zuko talking to one of the men. The man he was talking to pointed in my direction and Zuko looked up at me with relief in his face. He slowly walked over to join me.

"I saw the cabin was empty and I was worried you had run off somewhere…or worse." He said trying, without success, to hide the worry that was quickly leaving his features. Replacing it was a kind smile which slowly spread across his face with uncertainty.

I smiled back appreciatively. It was a good thing to know that my disappearance had worried him. It meant he cared about what happened to me and I mentally scolded myself for thinking anything less of him. He was a repentant Firelord and probably thought of me as a wounded creature.

"I apologize for worrying you, Firelord. In all honesty I wasn't really sure where you were and so I just came above deck. I truly didn't mean to sleep that long," I added, slightly embarrassed. "I guess the bed was just so comfortable compared to my old one that I couldn't seem to pull myself away from it."

"I'm glad it suits you," His smile was effortless now. "The one at my home should be even more comforting."

I thought about what he said I and I wondered to myself if "the one at my home" would be shared or if we would have individual beds. I couldn't stop the small tremor in my fingers as I thought about what he had said when I asked him my question.. I would eventually have to provide him with an heir and part of me wasn't sure I could do it. What if the time came and I said no? Would he force me? Would his people force me? The lack of answers to my questions scared me probably more than the questions themselves.

"You look terrified, is something wrong?" Zuko noticed my features as my thoughts trailed away.

"Sorry, my mind has a tendency to wander, it's nothing." I said giving him a reassuring smile.

"Well I'm going to get some sleep, if you get tired," He glanced in my direction as if he was ready to measure my reaction. "Just return to the bedroom you slept in before."

"Thank you." I said while wondering why he would be trying to measure my reaction to that. He excused himself though and walked down the stairs below the deck.

I played with the water a little more and after a while I realized I should do so in shorter sessions because it wore me out quickly. I yawned and decided it was best to get a few more hours of sleep. I walked below the deck and to the room I had been sleeping in before.. I opened the door and noticed something about the room had changed. There was now an unfamiliar mass occupying one corner of the room. There was a small candle lit and I walked over to pick it up and brought it to the strange new addition to the room. It took me a moment to understand exactly what it was.

"Zuko…" The word was a whisper and I looked at the man asleep on the small mattress that was laid out on the floor. I looked over to the bed and saw it was empty and I realized why he had been measuring my reaction to his words.

This was his room and he didn't want me to be uncomfortable with him in the room. I wish he would have told me because I would have offered to take the mattress on the floor rather than take the bed that belongs to him. I didn't know what I could do now because I didn't want to wake him from what seemed to be a genuinely peaceful sleep.

I looked over the features of his face and they were gentle, and calm, almost like a young boy's face. He was lying on his left side so his scar wasn't visible, but I found myself wishing it was. I wanted to see his whole face and see how his past affected his features. I thought of what kind of monster his father must have been and the corners of my mouth pulled down into a frown.

A part of me wished badly for Ozai's suffering for what he did to Zuko. I knelt down next to Zuko and reached my hand out. It almost touched his face, but I stopped for fear that I would certainly wake him. I wondered what kind of monster could hurt a man as kind as this. I let my hand fall to my lap and I sighed deeply. If only these were different circumstances. I found myself wishing wistfully.

I ignored the funny feeling in my stomach as the thought ran through my mind and stood up to walk over to the bed. I laid down on it and found myself dreaming before I was even asleep.. The dream was of a man and a woman; both of them were truly happy and had never seen the pain that Zuko and I had. They were innocent and gentle and most of all happy. I hoped that even with our pasts Zuko and I might have something close to happiness someday.

When I awoke again it was light out and the window was now open. I sat up and looked around the room only to find that the mattress in the corner was gone. There was no trace that Zuko had been there at all. Maybe it was all a dream? That couldn't be right though.

I stood up and went over to the door. My hand was hesitant on the handle, though I couldn't figure out why. I pushed the anxiety away and opened the door. When I walked out into the hall I mentally laughed at myself for being afraid. A guard – though still a young boy – rushed past me and gave me a kind smile. I wasn't a prisoner anymore, not here. In this place – in my new life – I was a friend, a guest, someone to be taken seriously and yet to be lighthearted with. I was enjoying every minute of it.

"Excuse me," I called out to another man walking through the hall. "Could you tell me where to find the Firelord?"

"Of course, my Lady, he is in the kitchen with his uncle." The man gave me a respectful bow and turned away.

"Thank you." I called after him.

I wandered through the hall until I found the door with a sign next to it that said 'Kitchen'. I knocked on the closed door, hoping I wasn't interrupting anything.

The answering "Come in" was not Zuko's voice and I assumed it must have been his uncle's. I opened the door and walked slowly inside.

Zuko's expression lightened when he saw it was me and he stepped forward to open the door the rest of the way for me.

"Ah, Kona, it's nice to see you again." The older man said giving me a polite smile.

"I don't think I got a chance to introduce you before, but this is my uncle, Iroh." Zuko said gesturing to the smiling old man.

"Would you like some tea? It's my favorite, Jasmine tea." Iroh offered and I replied with a polite smile since he was already pouring the cups. He handed one to me and I sipped it.

"Wow! This is amazing." I said taking in a bigger sip.

The tea wasn't too bitter or too sweet and it had the hint of a secret ingredient in it. It floated over my tongue like a cloud where it seemed to caress my taste buds. It was the most amazing thing I had ever tasted in my entire life.

"Why thank you, at least someone enjoys the tea today." Iroh said giving Zuko a look that made me wonder what had been going on before I came in. Zuko's expression was irritated as well.

"We should be docking right about now." Zuko said gesturing for us all to walk towards the door. He placed a hesitant hand on my back and we walked out of the kitchen with his uncle right on our heels.

We all walked out onto the upper deck and I saw the men hustling about bring the ship closer to the dock. The three of us walked past all the busy men and stood at the railing onthe side of the ship as a piece of the sideboard was sent over, providing us with stairs.

Zuko walked down first then offered a hand to me and I walked down slowly being as careful as I could manage with Iroh supporting me from behind. I knew I was a bit klutzy sometimes, but it seemed like they were overdoing it just a little.

There was a small group of people our age standing on the land at the end of the dock and we walked over to greet them. There were two men and three women. One of the men was bald with a tattoo of an arrow on his head – he must be an Air Temple monk because they're the only ones I had ever heard of who had those. His eyes were a light grey color and his arm was wrapped around a woman with very long brown hair. Her eyes were a blue color. Water Tribe! The other man had brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and his eyes were blue as well. Another Water Tribe member! His arm was wrapped around a woman with shoulder length light brown hair and light brown almost grey eyes. The last woman had short black hair and her eyes were a light faded green color.

"I can't see are they here yet?" The last girl shouted.

"Yes, Toph, they're here." The bald man said with a voice that was so light hearted and joyful that it made me want to leap and play.

We approached them and the minute we set foot on the soil the girl named Toph jumped on Iroh giving him a big hug.

"I haven't seen you in forever, Iroh!" She said happily.

"It has been a long time, Toph." He said with a smile while hugging her back.

"It's good to see you again Firelord Zuko." The bald man said with formality.

"It's great to see you too, Avatar Aang, in fact it's great to see all of you." Zuko replied back with a smile.

I fought to keep my chin from dropping to the ground. The Avatar! He was right here within touching distance. The almighty one who had defeated Ozai and he looked to be younger than me even. Except his eyes, they seemed aged beyond their years.

He turned to me then and gave me a warm smile. I blushed and looked down. Zuko seemed to notice my awkwardness and to my relief introduced me to the strangers.

"This is Kona," He said gesturing to me and the others stared at me in a form of awe. "She is soon to be my bride to be." He finished giving me a reassuring smile.

I gave an uncertain smile; a part of me had forgotten that little – yet oh so important – detail.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Kona." The deep blue-eyed girl said giving me a warm smile. "She's beautiful, Zuko, how did you get so lucky?" She gave a small laugh as she turned to Zuko.

He turned and gazed down at me with a strange look in his eyes. It took me a moment to figure out that his eyes seemed to be asking the same question as the woman had asked. Only his eyes were not joking like she had been.

"Well, welcome to the family, Kona." The boy with the ponytail said giving me a big smile that I couldn't help but laugh at. It was a short laugh, but a laugh still and it surprised me. "I'm Sokka." He said offering his hand out to me. I took his hand and he shook mine vigorously.

"I'm Suki." The girl with short brown hair said offering her hand to me. Her handshake was gentler, but still firm.

"I'm Toph." The girl with short black hair said, but I had already heard her name said.

"Hello." I said since the girl hadn't offered her hand.

"My name is Katara." The girl with longer brown hair said. Instead of offering her hand though she wrapped one arm around my shoulders and gave me a side hug.

"And I'm Aang." The Avatar said giving me a bow. I wasn't sure what to do. It had been so long since I was at court. So, I bowed as well.

"You must not have had suitable women's clothing, Zuko." Katara stated looking me over. I blushed and felt extremely underdressed. "You're from the Central Water Tribe aren't you?"

"I was, but…" My voice trailed off and everyone nodded in understanding.

"I think I can rummage up an outfit to look at least similar to the old Central Water Tribe clothing." She gave me a bright smile and I smiled back appreciatively.

"That's kind of you Katara, but I've already had some clothing made for Kona." He stated plainly. "If you'll excuse us we must tend to our needs now; we'll be out again for breakfast." He said before placing his hand behind my back again.

We walked away and left Iroh there talking with the guests about the trip and about the new changes to the prison..

We walked through a maze of halls before we got to a large door. Zuko opened it for us and he and I stepped through into a large room. A very large bed occupied the middle of the room and dressers on either side with wardrobes next to them. There was a desk at one wall and a lounging couch a few feet from the end of the bed. All in all it was an amazing room. The wood carvings on everything were delicately intricate. The smooth bedding looked to be silk and it was a deep red color. There was netting around the bed for minimal privacy and probably more for looks than anything else.

"Do you like it?" Zuko's soft voice behind me made me jump a little and he chuckled at my start.

"It's beautiful." I said willing my heart to slow down.

"As I said I ordered for some clothes to be made for you. You have multiple outfits in your dresser and wardrobe." He said pointing to the clothing holders on the other side of the room. "There's a changing room over here that you can use once you've selected your clothes." He said pointing to the door on this side of the room.

I walked over to the dresser on the other side of the room and opened the tope drawer. There were sufficient pieces for the under part of the clothing. I pulled out a couple and laid them on top of the dresser then moved on to the next drawer down. It had silky nightgowns which I touched, remembering another place and time, when I used to wear such finery. I closed that drawer, opening the next one. There were many skirts all different shades of blue and red. Apparently he was allowing me to choose something comfortable while still encouraging me to try something new.

I closed the drawer and walked over to the wardrobe and saw the same colors as the skirts only in shirts and dresses. I looked through the beautiful dresses and found one that I liked. I grabbed my choices and hurried over to the changing room.

When I was finished I opened the door slightly and peeked out. I was surprised to find Zuko staring at me from the lounging couch. I wondered how long he had sat and stared at the door waiting for me. I hoped it wasn't too long.

"Is everything okay with the clothes?" He asked curiously.

"No, they're perfect, they just seem too…" My voice trailed off as I searched for the right word. They were too good for me, but I didn't want to put it that way.

"Too…what?" He asked slowly.

"They're too fancy for me." I decided and then thought that sounded bad so I went with my original term. "They're too good…for me." I said looking down

He chuckled and when I looked up at him his eyes had a glint in them. "Nothing is too good for you." He said giving me a warm smile and I felt my heart skip a beat.

I made to protest, but he stopped me by standing up and walking toward me.

"Just let me see how you look and then I'll be the judge of what's too good for you." He said putting on a fake impatient face while waiting for me to open the door the rest of the way.

I complied and opened the door to reveal the dress I had chosen. It was blue on the top and the bottom skirt part of it was blue with red lacing over it. The shoulders were set down to the top part of my arm and they were just bunched up red lace about an inch wide. I stared at the floor, partly out of embarrassment, partly out of fear.

When I looked up at him to see his reaction his mouth was slightly open and his eyes were in a straight stare. I blushed and looked down; I couldn't remember ever having this reaction from a guy for anything. I looked up again and he was still staring with his mouth open and I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped my lips..

He seemed to snap out of his trance and he took the few steps needed to close the distance between us.

"You look absolutely amazing." He said taking my arm and escorting me towards the door.

"You don't think it's too much?" I asked letting doubt color my tone.

He simply shook his head and I felt the color in my cheeks deepen.

"May I escort a lovely lady to breakfast?" He said with his voice full of formality.

"You may." I said smiling brightly.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey sorry it's so late, but I've been working on getting my overall plan for this story and I think I've pretty much got it figured out. he next few chapters might take a little more thought, but after that I should come out with them much faster.**

**And I just have to say that people who spend their free time making viruses and spam, to mess up other people's computers just because they have nothing better to do, are completely pathetic and should just fall off of the face of the earth. (Sorry for the rant, but my computer was just recently attacked by a virus bomb or what you will call it and I was not very happy)**

We made our way down the hall and through a large door. There was a long table in the middle of the room and servants moving around carrying trays of food. There were lots of people sitting around the table having conversations with each other.

Sokka looked up and saw us standing at the entrance. He waved us over and we gladly joined the rest of the group.

"So we were just talking to Iroh about the time we first met you, Zuko," Sokka said before we even had a chance to sit down.

Zuko's cheeks reddened a little, and he quickly pulled a chair out for me before he sat down.

"You do remember don't you?" Sokka asked eagerly.

"Yes, I do." Zuko answered uncomfortably.

I watched curiously as Sokka began the story animatedly.

"I was preparing my troops when all of a sudden the earth shook beneath us and then Zuko's ship crashed through one of our walls." His hands were moving around as he spoke, putting an emphasis on certain words.

"Where is the Avatar?"

I looked over at Zuko as Sokka tried to imitate Zuko's deep voice. His face was as red as his clothes and he was resting his forehead in his palm, staring down at his plate.

"He actually thought Aang was going to be old like Gran Gran!" Sokka laughed while the others gave sympathetic smiles to Zuko.

"Okay Sokka, enough with the past." Katara said quietly. "Aang and I have some important news." She smiled and then turned to Aang.

"Now?" Aang asked. It was meant for her ears only, but the rest of us heard anyways.

She nodded, then turned to face the group.

"I knew it! " Toph said before Katara even had the chance to say anything. "I knew your heartbeat didn't feel normal."

"Are you sick Katara?" Suki asked worriedly.

"No, not sick. Well, Aang, you tell them." Katara looked extremely nervous and I was pretty sure I knew why.

"Katara and I are going to have a child." Aang declared proudly as he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"What wonderful news!" Iroh said happily. "Isn't that just wonderful Zuko?"

"Yes, it is," Zuko's smile was sincere, but there was something in his eyes that hinted at another emotion. I couldn't tell what it was though and so I let it go.

"Congratulations, Aang, Katara. I am very happy for you both."

"Thank you, Zuko. That means a lot."

"I'm gonna be an uncle?" Sokka looked as if he were ready to cry and dance at the same time. Which he immediately did following his statement. "My sister is having a baby!" He shouted as he jumped up and down. Suki tried to get him settled down, but she was failing miserably.

"Congratulations," I whispered quietly.

Katara's smile was gentle as she mouthed "Thank you."

"Yeah, congrats Twinkle Toes." Toph replied good-naturedly.

"Thank you Toph."

"Zuko, I was hoping I could talk to you when the meal was finished," the Avatar said quietly.

Zuko just nodded and turned towards everyone else to excuse himself. The Avatar did the same and they both left quietly.

I stared after them for a long moment before I felt a hand on my arm. I turned to see Katara smiling at me.

"I was hoping to talk with you privately for a moment." Her voice was patient, and I nodded and walked with her out into the hall and then outside.

We came to a garden with some of the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen in my entire life. We just walked for a long time before she said anything.

"I get the feeling that you're very cautious when it comes to Zuko." She was quiet, almost as if unsure how to approach the subject.

"Well, he is the son of my enemy. I'm just not sure if I can completely trust him yet." I told her as I looked down.

"I know exactly what you mean," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice. "The first time I ever really began to trust Zuko he betrayed me, and Aang paid the price. After that I spent all my time being so angry about what he did and I thought I would never be able to forgive him. "

"But you trust him now. You've forgiven him haven't you?"

"Yes, I have, and I'm glad I did."

"What happened? How do you learn to trust someone after they betray you?"

"After some time of living with his father in the Fire Nation, Zuko decided that he wasn't happy living life like he was. He stood up to his father and came to find us, to teach Aang firebending."

"And you forgave him, just like that?"

"No, of course not," she smiled. "I didn't trust him at first. It took a long time for me to finally begin to see that he really had changed. He offered to help me find the man who killed my mother in order to gain vengeance. I agreed and in the search I released a horrible display of my bending abilities. In the end though, I realized that it wasn't worth it to turn myself into a monster, all so I could get revenge. I will never forgive the man who killed my mother, but I did learn to forgive Zuko."

"It is not as easy as that for me though," I said quietly as I looked down at my hands.

"You're right, what the old Fire Nation did to you was something that can never be undone, and I'm sure you will never be able to forget. But this isn't the old Fire Nation anymore, thanks to Zuko it's the new Fire Nation. It's a land of people in remorse for their previous actions with a leader who is trying to rebuild a world that he was never responsible for destroying."

I looked up at her and her eyes shined brightly with truth and I found it hard not to believe her words.

"He is a good man, Kona. He made mistakes, yes, but who hasn't? He really is trying to make things better, so just give him a real chance, okay?"

I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Thank you for coming to talk with me," she said, smiling kindly at me.

She seemed genuinely happy and I found myself smiling back.

Maybe living here with Zuko wouldn't be so bad after all. I had just barely gotten here and already I felt like I had made a new friend. I hoped that's what Katara thought of me because she was encouraging me to give Zuko a decent chance, which was enough to gain my trust. She seemed like a very good person and I was truly glad that I had met her already.

"Thank you Katara."

She gave me curious look and I thought she would ask me for what? Instead she just smiled at me as if she already understood.

**A/N: As always tell me what you think ^_^**


	7. Author's Note

**Firstly I want to apologize for my absence and hiatus of my stories. I am very sorry. I could give you the reasons for this but as they could be perceived as excuses (which is one thing I honestly hate) I hope you will forgive me.**

**I want to let you know now that I may or may not finish this story. I have lost my notebook that I had all the plans written in due to some of the reasons I've been gone. So I will try to remember what I can from it and try to get the inspiration flowing again, but no promises. (This message is also being posted on another story of mine, so it's not just this one. From now on I will computerize all of my story plans)**

**In somewhat lighter news, I've decided to start another story; I have no idea what for though. I need some ideas from readers like you. Each chapter will be themed with a song (I have some starting ideas but it'll hopefully mainly be readers picks). I also need reader's help to choose what movie/book/tv show/ anime/ect. I will be writing about. I will have a poll on my page (after I get some ideas) of the choices I have narrowed it down to. THIS WILL MOST LIKELY BE AN ORIGINAL CHARACTER STORY. Unless specially requested otherwise with a given certain couple. And yes there will be a love-based plot because let's face it, I may not be a good writer, but at least I can notice that, that's what I'm best at. **

**Anyways feel free to leave ideas in the review or PM me with them. Again, I apologize. *bows head in shame***


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